novelraw Chapter 752 57: Conversation with the Elector
Chapter 752 57: Conversation with the Elector
"Father, I told you I don't want to marry Ferdinand."
She raised her tone, perhaps for the first time in years, raising her voice like this when speaking to her father.
Not to mention Duke Ferdinand already has someone he loves; their union is destined to be merely a political marriage. She has never considered marrying him and having children; such a life as a court lady was never what she wanted.
Moreover, she had already promised the Captain to go to his world.
"Say that again!"
The air seemed to freeze into ice.
Facing the stern gaze of the Prince-Elector, sharp as a hawk's, Viviana, for the first time, met it without flinching: "I said I won't go to Vienna, nor will I marry Ferdinand, or anyone else."
"Ha, your courage does surprise me, my daughter."
The Prince-Elector let out a cold laugh; he was always satisfied with his daughter's talent, but unfortunately, she was born with a meek nature. Otherwise, even supporting her as the first female Elector of the Hohenzollern Family, why not?
"Speak, if you can convince me."
"There's no reason, I just don't want to live like a caged canary anymore. I want to have my own life, whether it's traveling the world like a knight, seeking justice, or as a traveler, an adventurer."
A sneer appeared on the Prince-Elector's face: "It seems I've mocked Franz too early."
In the air, the magic spiritual light was in turmoil, indicating that the seemingly calm Prince-Elector's inner anger had reached its peak.
Viviana, too, did not show weakness, quietly unsheathed the sword in her hand, the engraved magical runes glowing with spiritual light.
The tension was palpable, and the housekeeper watching felt frightened.
"Master, please calm down."
He mustered up the courage to advise: "The young lady has always been sensible. The fact that she is saying such things this time must mean she is under someone else's enchantment, and besides, this is not Berlin; if you two start fighting here..."
The housekeeper's words brought the Prince-Elector back to reason. He took a deep breath and said coldly, "Very well, speak, let's see if my obedient daughter is truly under someone's enchantment or determined to betray her father."
Viviana glanced at the housekeeper trying to mediate and silently inserted the blade back into the sword scabbard.
Her heart was pounding violently; she had never thought she would draw a sword against her father one day, and she never expected that when the day came, she wouldn't feel much fear but rather a surprising sense of relief.
"I did meet someone during this trip."
The Prince-Elector's expression remained icy, showing no joy or anger, but everyone knew that this Elector, who inherited the title of "Soldier King" from his ancestors and was renowned for his strict military discipline, hated disobedience from subordinates the most.
He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his anger: "You fell in love with him?"
A courageous and imposing middle-aged man flashed in Viviana's mind, but she quickly shook her head: "No, I already thought it through when I left. I don't want to live like a marionette. Every move must be pre-arranged, endlessly entangled in meaningless social interactions, and after marriage, becoming a courtly lady. Such a life, even the thought of it, makes me feel sick."
"So, for your own selfish desires, you'd rather betray your father, betray your family?"
The Prince-Elector slammed his palm down, shattering the table in front of him. The housekeeper beside him flinched, but facing the Prince-Elector's icy stare, he knew he could no longer interject. Cautiously closing the door, he left.
He had to ensure that the dispute between the master and the young lady today wouldn't be passed by some indiscreet servant to those unscrupulous tabloids.
"Viviana!"
The Prince-Elector stood up, using her full name for the first time.
"I really want to know what you saw during these days out. But if you've seen those common women with the freedom you long for, seen those textile workers, seen those who sell their bodies just to fill their stomachs, you'd know how much of the family's grace you've benefited from."
"Being born into the Hohenzollern Family is not your misfortune; it's your greatest fortune. Every year on the Elbe River, someone drowns an infant they can't afford to raise to avoid poll tax, if it weren't for being born into the Hohenzollern Family, you might not have even survived to adulthood!"
Viviana fell silent momentarily.
She knew her father was right; the expenses for learning swordsmanship, the swordsmanship coach, court teachers, the family's secret Light and Shadow Sword Skill, including this custom-made magic longsword of hers, all were provided by the family.
If she had been born into a common family, she might have been married off early.
This was a reality she couldn't deny.
She raised her head and said coldly: "Shouldn't you feel ashamed because of this?"
"What?"
"Your subjects under your rule can barely make a living, and as their monarch, you can't be absolved of guilt, can you?"
"Ha, naive."
The Prince-Elector didn't feel like explaining, even the United Kingdom and France, with vast colonies, had citizens struggling for survival, let alone that Brandenburg, under his strong support, had already liberated the peasants, far better than next door's Tsarist Russia.
Besides, commoners have lived this way for thousands of years.
The Grand Prince-Elector coldly laughed: "Enjoying everything the family provides, yet unwilling to give back, Viviana, can someone this selfish talk about seeking justice like a knight?"
Viviana found herself momentarily speechless.
Her body trembled slightly, and she couldn't help but clench her fists.
"In a difficult situation, aren't you, Miss Viviana."
Over at Losa's side, he intended to summon Viviana, only to find that her originally golden card had turned gray, indicating temporarily unavailable for summoning, a first for this kind of situation, prompting Losa to intervene.
His spiritual power could now withstand such cross-border transmission.
Like grasping a life-saving straw, Viviana's mood steadied quickly, as if grasping the emotions of a drowning person: "Captain, Father believes I..."
"What do you believe?"
"I also feel sorry for the family."
Indeed...
Ah, it had to be said, Miss Viviana is quite straightforward, and such a reply was not unexpected.
"Let me talk to your father."
"You're the one trying to take my daughter away?"
The Prince-Elector appeared very wary, unable to perceive what Losa truly was, nor locate his original form.
Given his power, this was a rather unusual situation.
"Not taking away, Elector Sir."
Losa said gravely: "Nice to meet you. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Losa of the Habsburg Family—another world's Habsburg Family, as well as the Captain of Yesterday's Giant Ship."
"Yesterday's Giant Ship?"
The Prince-Elector struggled to maintain the composure on his face: "The legendary Tower of Babel capable of traveling across the river of time, even journeying to the Divine Kingdom?"
"It's just a legend."
"Ha, if you truly were the owner of the Tower of Babel, would you need to negotiate with me to take my daughter?"
"In fact, Miss Viviana has already entered into a contract with Yesterday's Giant Ship. No matter what the result of this conversation, she will eventually leave. From the standpoint of Miss Viviana as Captain, I would prefer her to leave with peace of mind."